Valiant Steps by Malcolm Smith

Valiant Steps for oboe and piano (2000)
1'10"

Valiant Steps was written for the oboeist Nancy Proudfoot, whose playing
impressed me at a
BMIC
concert given at Stratford Place in London by students from
Wells Cathedral School on 2000-02-08 (the same event that inspired
A Time On My Island Of Art). My piece was
written later that night and completed the following day, my quickest
composition to date; it is very short, but hopefully its simplicity is its
strength.

The title is a lame pun on her surname, and the music conveys
having the courage to make bold decisions. It showcases the soloist's
langourous liquid lines and high stratospheric pianissimo oboe clouds.
The piano part is simple but has some wide hand stretches unsuitable for
children. A grand piano is preferable to an upright, as the oboe is
occasionally asked to direct the bell towards the open body of the piano
to resonate the strings.

I sent a copy of this score to her school, for which she thanked me,
but it remains (to my knowledge) unperformed and I have yet to find an
oboe player to record it. Noble oboeists and courageous pianists are
welcome to take up the challenge...